Tuesday, September 21, 2004
the house of lord bikram
ok. i have a not so secret secret to tell. for the last 3 1/2 months i have been exercising my body and getting stronger and healthier, doing bikram yoga. some might think i have been beating myself up or torturing my body by doing this yoga, and at times, i have thought that too. however, i am feeling great. the outcome thus far has been amazing. bikram yoga is a type of yoga that is done in a hot room, about 40C or around 95F. let's put it this way- it is way hot, especially when you are giving your body a full workout for an hour and a half, stretching and strengthening. i have been going faithfully over these past months about 3-4 times a week.
the first time i went was on the recommendation of a friend, she has been doing this style of yoga for years. my first class, i sweated like i never had sweated before in my life. i figure between 2-3 liters of sweat came out of my body. the remarkable thing, was i could literally taste and smell the chemo-therapy drugs coming out of my body through my sweat. i was physically sick. up to that point i had believed that those drugs had been filtered from my body and was a thing of the past. how wrong i was! when i walked out form that first class of 90 minutes of yoga, i was ready to puke from my own sweat (i didn't). i went home to sleep straight away. i crashed out. but was back the next day for more. i figured, if those chemicals were still in my body, and through the yoga it was pouring out of me, this bikram yoga wasn't a bad thing. and so my journey began. 3 1/2 months down the track i am much healthier, stronger, and more bendy. although i can still smell and taste the residual amounts of the chemo drugs in my sweat, it is nowhere near the level it was when i first began. even now, every class is just as challenging as the first one i attended, but it is always a personal challenge. so it is always satisfying to participate in the classes. not to mention inspiring to see all these other fit and healthy looking human beings that doing the yoga. the whole thing is addictive.
not long after i began taking the bikram yoga classes in australia, i inspired my dad and sister to get involved in the same form of yoga in los angeles. both of them have had positive experiences of their own, and continue to take the classes. it is something that i would recommend to everyone, and i do. if you are the type of person that is up for a challenge, with the greatest rewards, then bikram yoga is it. if you are interested, look online for your nearest bikram yoga studio and go for it. all you'll need is a towel and a water bottle.
the first time i went was on the recommendation of a friend, she has been doing this style of yoga for years. my first class, i sweated like i never had sweated before in my life. i figure between 2-3 liters of sweat came out of my body. the remarkable thing, was i could literally taste and smell the chemo-therapy drugs coming out of my body through my sweat. i was physically sick. up to that point i had believed that those drugs had been filtered from my body and was a thing of the past. how wrong i was! when i walked out form that first class of 90 minutes of yoga, i was ready to puke from my own sweat (i didn't). i went home to sleep straight away. i crashed out. but was back the next day for more. i figured, if those chemicals were still in my body, and through the yoga it was pouring out of me, this bikram yoga wasn't a bad thing. and so my journey began. 3 1/2 months down the track i am much healthier, stronger, and more bendy. although i can still smell and taste the residual amounts of the chemo drugs in my sweat, it is nowhere near the level it was when i first began. even now, every class is just as challenging as the first one i attended, but it is always a personal challenge. so it is always satisfying to participate in the classes. not to mention inspiring to see all these other fit and healthy looking human beings that doing the yoga. the whole thing is addictive.
not long after i began taking the bikram yoga classes in australia, i inspired my dad and sister to get involved in the same form of yoga in los angeles. both of them have had positive experiences of their own, and continue to take the classes. it is something that i would recommend to everyone, and i do. if you are the type of person that is up for a challenge, with the greatest rewards, then bikram yoga is it. if you are interested, look online for your nearest bikram yoga studio and go for it. all you'll need is a towel and a water bottle.
